Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled criteria for accelerating approvals of major infrastructure projects, with a focus on proposals that enhance Canada’s economic independence and have support from Indigenous communities.

The announcement followed a meeting with premiers during the First Ministers conference this week in Saskatoon—Carney’s first such meeting since his election win in April.

The fast-tracking program has widespread implications for commercial real estate development across multiple asset classes. Investors and developers have called for quicker infrastructure-project approvals and incentives to help boost commercial real estate investment and development. A lack of sufficient infrastructure has hindered investment and development projects in recent years.

Carney’s Liberal government is committing to a two-year approval window for projects such as critical mineral corridors, ports, nuclear energy facilities and pipelines.

“The point is to build the certainty, the stability and the ambition that builders need to catalyze enormous investment, investment to make Canada into an energy superpower and to build the strongest economy in the G7,” Carney told reporters.

Although no specific projects were named, Carney confirmed that “decarbonized Canadian oil and gas by pipelines” is among the types of proposals under consideration, including potentially an oil pipeline to tidewater. The Prime Minister has asked premiers to submit lists of projects with “national significance.”

Once a project is deemed in the national interest, a new federal major projects office will be tasked with setting a single set of conditions to be met, streamlining federal oversight. However, the government has yet to clarify how it will balance expedited approvals with its duty to consult Indigenous communities.

National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, criticized the lack of Indigenous involvement in such meetings.

“They always put us at the little kiddie table for an hour before. And I think that that’s so disrespectful,” she told reporters at the Ontario Legislature in Toronto.

She added that she delivered a list of First Nations’ demands to Carney over the weekend but had yet to receive a response. She also warned of cross-country protests if governments continue to overlook Indigenous voices.

Premiers welcomed Carney’s plan, despite the lack of additional details.

Pictured: Prime Minister Mark Carney

Photo: Photo Agency/Shutterstock.com